This past Rogue Valley Toy Run was number 27 and as each year passes this event keeps growing in leaps and bounds and 2007 turned out to be the biggest one ever. Wehad almost 700 motorcycles and over 1000 participants. As my friend, Kevin Vanderkolk would say, "This thing is huge, huge I tell you!!" Well thanks to people like Kevin and supporters like yourself the Rogue Valley Toy Run is alive and well and doing more and more each year to help the Rogue Valley area children that are in need at Christmas time and all year long thanks to our relationship with the Children's Miracle Network. The Children's Miracle Network puts children first in all that it does and 100% of all the money donated from our community stays in our community. The local Children's Miracle Network is based at the Rogue Valley Medical Center and provides health care for children battling cancer, diabetes, muscular dystrophy, heart defects and accident trauma, to name a few. This year the Rogue Valley Toy Run collected a mountain of toys for the Toys for Tots of the Rogue Valley and the Eagles Club Aerie 250 of Medford oregon. From the sales of the T shirts, raffle tickets, 50/50 drawing and cash donations $10,000.00 was raised the day of the toy run for the Children's Miracle Network. In the past few years we have had local TV celebrities Kendra Kostelicki, April Warnecke, Libby Johnson and the Mayor of Medford, Lindsay Berriman participate in the parade. This year, 2007 we were graced with the appearances from Miss Oregon of 2007,Kari Virding, Miss Rogue Valley 2007 and Kenny and Kyle VanLeeuwen , who are the 2008 Children's Miracle Network Champions Across America for the state of Oregon. In 2007 our very generous sponsors are D&S Harley-Davidson, The Appliance Depot, Star Collision Centers, Rogue Federal Credit Union, KTVL TV, KBOY 95.7 Southern Oregon's Classic Rock Radio Station, Rogue Federal Credit Union, Vortex Graphics,The Eagles lodge of Medford, Breeze Financial, Better View Glass, Thunderstruck Custom Cycle, Roguehawg.com, Custom Body Art and Quality Printing A very large, heartfelt thank you goes out to all of our sponsors and to all of the riders who come out on the first cold Saturday in December every year and make this event huge. A very special thanks goes out to two brothers JR and Mark Lamensdorf, who own Star Collision Centers in Medford, Talent, and Rogue River. The year 2007 was the year that the Grinch almost stole the Toy Run Parade. The Grinch came in the form of City Government and Government Cost Cutting. and these local business owners volunteered to pay the overtime costs to the City of Medford so that police officers could be paid to escort the Rogue Valley Toy Run through the City of Medford.

Click here for a slide show of pictures from the 2007 Rogue Valley Toy Run.

Click here some more pictures of the 2007 Rogue Valley Toy Run

Click here for even more pictures of the 27 th Annual Rogue Valley Toy Run

Thank you

Gene and Lori Nelson

Rogue Valley Toy Run Inc.

The next Rogue Valley Toy Run will be on Saturday December 6, 2008 Rain or Shine

Once again D&S Harley Davidson, 3846 South Pacific Highway, Medford Oregon is the host of the Rogue Valley Toy Run.Social Hour will start at 10 am with hot drinks and donuts provided for all of the riders. We will have special guest which will be announced at a later date. The parade will leave at noon. The parade route will be north on South Pacific Highway on to Riverside through the downtown area and end at the Eagle's Club at 2000 Tablerock Road. Shirt sales and special limited edition Toy Run prints drawn by the world famous Ashland artist Will Storm will start in November hurry on down to D&S Harley Davidson as supplies are limited. All cash proceeds from T-shirt sales, donations and the auction will be going to the Children's Miracle Network.

Facts about Rogue Valley Toy Run
1. The toy run was first started in 1980 by Jackson County ABATE, an organization involved in preservation of the political rights of motorcycle riders. It was held on the first Saturday of December and has been held on that day ever since. It is one the oldest, continuously held toy runs in the U.S.
2. 1992 was the first year Jackson County ABATE worked with the Medford Moose Lodge for the distribution of the toys to the less fortunate kids in the Rogue Valley at Christmas time.
3. In 1992 also marked the first year Gene Nelson headed up the event while serving as Chapter Coordinator of Jackson County ABATE.
4. In 1994 Jackson County ABATE turned in their Charter and were no more.

5. Since 1998 D&S Harley Davidson has been the host and major sponsor of the Rogue Valley Toy Run.
6. In 1999, we had 160 motorcycles and over 220 riders participate in the ride, in 2000 over 450 riders were on hand and in 2001, despite the cold and the rain, over 300 hearty souls came out to support the children of the Rogue Valley.
7. The Rogue Valley Toy Run 2000 is the first year that the Children's Miracle Network is the benefactor of all cash sales from commemorative T-shirts and memorabilia. D&S Harley-Davidson has donated all the shirts and memorabilia to make this possible. Over $6000.00 was donated to the Children's Miracle Network.
8. The Medford Moose Lodge continued their tremendous support of the Rogue Valley Toy Run through the year 2001. The Moose members distributed all the toys that are donated, to individual families. These families applied to the Moose Lodge membership throughout the year. No families that benefited from the toy run are Moose members.

9. The Salvation Army distributed the massive mountain of toys from the Rogue Valley Toy Run starting in 2002. All of the toys remain in the Rogue Valley area. All families that need toys for their children, should apply to the Medford or Grants Pass Salvation Army Stores. The 24th annual Rogue Valley Toy Run had over 400 motorcycles and 550 riders.
There was over $6000.00 collected and donated to the Children's Miracle Network.

10. In 2004 the world famous artist, Will Storm created and donated a Rogue Valley Toy Run original potrait of a small child, Santa and a Harley-Davidson Side car outfit. These very limited edition prints are availible only here at Roguevalleytoyrun.com.

11. In 2005 the Rogue Valley Toy Run becomes 25 years old and celebrates it's birthday by extending the parade to Gold Hill. The City of Gold Hill welcomes the expected 500 plus riders by shutting down 4 city blocks to accomadate the celebration of generosity.
12. Special thanks go out to all of the new sponsors that continue to add their support for this community project. D&S Harley Davidson for all of their support through the years, Eric Dillard for past T shirt design, Herb Sutton, Vortex Graphics for the hard work on the T shirts, Kevin Vander Kolk of Media Solutions, the Medford City Council, Sgt. Bob Hanson and Officer Greg Nichols of the Medford motor patrol for their organization of the run through Medford,Trooper Baker and the Oregon State Patrol motorcycle patrol, The City of Phoenix, OR and the City of Phoenix Police, Dana Fish of The Appliance Depot, KTVL, Channel 10, Mark Daley of Thunderstruck Custom Bikes, Quality Printing, Custom Body Art and Tattoo, Breeze Financial, Better View Glass and to all of our future sponsors. We will need new sponsors as this event continue's to grow.

13. In 2006 the 26th annual Rogue Valley Toy Run had a record number of 650 participants for the Toy Run and collected $7000.00 which is an all time record amount of money to be donated to The Children's Miracle Network.

14. In 2007 the City of Medford threatens to deny the Parade Permit that would allow the Rogue Valley Toy Run to go through the City of Medford due to Overtime costs. Star Collision Center owners JR and Mark Lamensdorf offer to pay the overtime costs associated with the escort of the parade through Medford.2007 also proved to be the bggest Rogue Valley Toy Run ever with 1000 particpants and $10,000 collected and donated to the Children's Miracle Network.

Watch for upcoming details about this year's event!!

For more information on becoming a sponsor or details about the Rogue Valley Toy Run contact Gene at 541-535-5515 or email gene@roguehawg.com